It keeps me awake, the look on your face, the moment you heard the news...Storm's face was just as expressionless as always, but Iris had known her long enough to know that just below the surface, a storm (pardon the pun) was raging on. That silent fury made Iris tense and nervous, but she understood, because she felt it, too. It was a sad picture, and it felt like a final blow hit her. Someday else got what she wanted again. Their team was losing, battered and bruising. The whole world was rolling fake dice, playing stupid games for stupid prizes.

You're screaming inside and frozen in time, you did all that you could do...Iris could absolutely tell that Storm was screaming inside, but weren't they all? This was definitely a landmark time in their country's history, although not a proud one. It was as Princeton noted just 20 days earlier. It seemed like no matter how many steps forward they took in their fight for equality, there was always someone there to push them right back again. It felt as though they were going backwards in time, too, to 1973 and before. They were repeating history and Iris was getting sick of it.

The game was rigged, the ref got tricked, the wrong ones think they're right...What frustrated Iris most of all, though, was how unfair it all was. It wasn't just that she was disappointed in the outcome of the case, it was that the people who decided it were neither representative, nor a majority, of the people in their country, and yet just because they had money and power, they were exchanging high fives. Even though Iris had done all she could do, because the game was rigged against the common person, they lost. It was hard to fight when the fight wasn't fair.

We were outnumbered, raided and now cornered...this time! Even though it was a humiliating, insulting, concerning loss, Iris still couldn't help but feel a tiny spark of hope fluttering within her chest. She had no idea where it came from, or if it was really appropriate so soon after the old ruling was overturned, but she hoped that the anger following the outcome of the case would finally be enough to push people back into action again. Sure, American glory was fading and the stories were burning, but, in the light and the heat of the flames...

We are still young, and only the young can run, so we'll run, and run, and run! Maybe it was because her own depression had lifted that even though the country's had not, she was feeling more hopeful than she had in a while. If things were never going to get better, they could at least enjoy the ride down. Besides, that was no excuse to not try. And if suffering was all she knew, then at least she could say this wasn't unfamiliar territory. That was some level of comfort, wasn't it? These things could change, and the walls that they put up would fall down again someday.

Oh, how quickly, they forget...Iris couldn't help but smile a little. It was dry, but a smile, nonetheless. Yes, things were bad right now, she wouldn't deny. However, in the grand scheme of things, life had a natural ebb and flow. Things got bad many times before, but nature always found a way and life always came back stronger than a retro trend.

That was not to say it would just get better on its own, but assuming it was over? It wasn't just negative, but presumptuous! Humanity had survived so much already, did they really think it was impossible to do again? And even if they couldn't fix things, per se, they would adapt, change and grow, and find a new path forward!

The one thing we DID have wrong, though, was thinking that those in power would do anything for us anymore. They aren't gonna help us, they're too busy helping themselves. They aren't gonna change this, we gotta do it ourselves! And even though they count us out time and time again, hasn't history shown that we will always find a way not just to survive, but thrive? This isn't over, it's just begun. This is a new chapter, the next battle, in the epic saga of life! It got better before, so maybe I'm dumb, but I think it can get better again! The time will come for us to finally win!

Maybe it was an idealistic way of viewing the situation, but Iris was confident. There wouldn't be much she could do on her own, but she would do what she could and slowly crawl her way forward. That would have to be enough, and if she could trust in her friends to do their parts as well, even if they couldn't save or fix the world, they could still make their world a little better, a little brighter, in face of all of it. They would find a way to sing hallelujah, voice drowning out everything else.

Only one thing can save us: only the young. And of course, this wasn't literal. No matter one's age, if they were young in heart, spirit and mind, that was enough to keep going, keep helping, and find joy even in times of grief. Wasn't that also the spirit and story of the queer community? Finding love in spite of hate? If only the young could run, then Iris would run, and run, and run! But she wasn't going alone...

"Don't say you're too tired to fight, it's just a matter of time, up there's the finish line!" She took Storm's hand gently in her own. She wasn't here for toxic positivity or false promises, but she was here to do what she did best: be so optimistic that she could lift someone else up, too. For a moment, Storm's empty expression changed into one of surprise. If there was one person she knew who could always make her day better, it was Iris, but she hadn't expected it to happen so soon. All she needed to do, though, was look into those bright, determined, purple eyes and she knew...

She squeezed Iris' hand right back. Iris was right, even if waiting out the old authority was no longer a winning strategy, they still had other options, even if it meant working on a painfully tiny scale. But hey, better some than none. And if Iris was confident that, someday, these things would change, then Storm would try to have faith in it, too.

And I'll never let her go, because I know this is a fight that someday we're gonna win! It's just me and her, but that's my whole world, so even if the world spreads rumors and doubt, I'll stay voted most likely to run away with her.

ooo

Word spread quickly throughout Iris' friend group and they all exchanged whispered, worried words in regard to their future. There were so many things to fear. How would the overturned case affect people? Would it encourage the big bad men and their big bad plans, their hands stained with red, to try again? Would they overturn more cases soon? How much of their world was going to unravel in the coming years? They might've been bigger, though, but Iris and friends were faster and never scared. They would run and run and run, spirited and young!

"The way I see it," Iris said, "You guys are right that it'll probably get worse before it gets better, but, maybe this is just something we have to adapt to. Now, I don't mean we just roll over and accept it, but we move forward and march against it even though we are outnumbered this time. Like I said, I know it'll get worse before it gets better, but I still believe that we can come back from this. The important part is knowing what we can do now, not just in terms of standing against this stupid verdict, but in helping those who are going to suffer the most in the coming years."

As she would summarize, reaffirming her point about the cyclical nature of life, both literally and politically, their world was built to fall apart, then fall back together. If they could ride the wave accordingly and maximize the amount of people they could help, that was the best course of action, it seemed. But Iris' optimism wasn't impermeable, and tears were shed during their "meeting". That was when a new, unexpected source of hope sprung forth from their little group.

"Remember when we thought we couldn't take the heat?" Storm turned to Iris in specific, referring to the start of their relationship. "I walked out, trying to set you free, but then you came running after me and we both realized that our worst monsters weren't so big and bad after all? When the sun came up that next morning, you were looking at me..."

Of course, the monsters they were facing today were more than just trees, or figments of an insecure imagination, but spiraling down negative thought-paths until they were scared silly wasn't going to do them any good either, that was the point Storm was trying to make. Mourn, but don't get too lost in it. Grieve, but down spiral down too far.

The circle looked around at one another, a silent question in all of their minds as they slowly, but steadily, dried their eyes. Are we out of the woods yet? Are we in the clear yet? No, not even close, but...Iris' thoughts also turned back to the start of her relationship with Storm. Everything about it had been totally unexpected, from meeting her to getting along with her to actually falling in love with her to her initiating a romance, and yet still it happened. Life could change in drastic, unexpected ways, and it didn't always have to be for the worst. Besides, there was only one sure-fire way out of the woods: to run!

No, I never saw you coming, but I'll never be the same...You came around and my armor falls, piercing the room like a cannonball. Now all we know is "don't let go!" So you were never a saint and I've loved in shades of wrong, but we learned to live with the pain, mosaic broken hearts, and our love is brave and wild!

"See?" Iris was speaking before she was even fully aware of it. "This is what I mean. Even if one of us stumbles and falls, loses sight and loses hope, then someone else will pick up the slack and support us until we can get back on out feet again, and then we'll do the same for them in their turn." She wiped her teary eyes again. That was why it was so important for all of them to run, and run together. We were outnumbered...last time. But, this is the worthwhile fight. Love and life are ruthless games, but we're gonna play them good and right.

Keeping in line with the concept of a cyclical life, tears of sadness eventually turned into tears of happiness. When the conversation turned back to lighter topics, Iris, Storm, and all the rest found themselves laughing as they regaled all of their old adventures, together and apart.

"Ok, I've got one, I've got one!" Iris managed to catch her breath. They were telling funny Pride stories and, as Iris said, she had one. "I was actually trying to leave one once, but for some reason, it wouldn't accept my credit card so, for a hot minute, I thought I was going to have to stay stuck in the parking garage for the entire night!"

"Oh, jeez, Iris, what did you do?" Aces snorted, shaking his head.

"I told you! I didn't do anything! But the freaking toll booth machine thingy would take my card, then spit it back out, then nothing would happen! The gate wouldn't open or anything, but it just kept saying to insert card to pay for the parking! I don't even know what was happening!"

"It was the universe's way of saying you were too gay to go home yet, so you had to stay at the Pride overnight!" Clover laughed.

"Honestly, that's what it felt like," Iris rolled her eyes. Eventually, though, she managed to call for help and someone lifted the gate for her, but it was still telling that it took her longer to get of the parking garage than it did for her to find her car in it.

"And to think! I thought it was a stroke of luck I managed to find that spot!" Iris cried in mock despair.

While the others laughed, Storm reclined in her seat and smiled to herself. Oh, Iris, don't you ever grow up, just stay this simple...Maybe Storm was the one who managed to renew everyone's hopes earlier, comparing their current struggles to one she faced in the past in order to offer up words of encouragement, but it was really Iris' cheer that gave Storm the perspective to be able to offer any insight at all.

Even earlier that morning, when Iris had taken her hand and told her not to give up, although Storm hadn't said anything at the time, she thought it really summed up why she loved Iris so much, and what drew her to the smaller woman in the first place. Even though her positivity and optimism were sometimes annoying and cringeworthy, Storm had to admit that they did make her feel better, stronger, brave, and more inclined to keep fighting, keep moving forward. She loved that about Iris, and even though she may have pretended to be exasperated by it, she hoped that Iris would never change in that regard.

I won't let nobody hurt you, won't let no one break your heart, and no one will desert you, just please never grow up...As much as they talked about the future, the ability to remember the past and hold onto the memories so that the memories would hold onto them was important, too. It wasn't just that the past had good advice to learn from, but the positive things they could look back on would help easing into an uncertain future that much easier. Already, Storm could see it in her mind's eye. Someday, Iris would be living in a big old city, trying to make the world a somewhat better place, even if she was never able to do it on a large scale.

That was admirable, Storm thought, to be willing to fight even if the battles weren't going to be big and glorious. But no matter where life ends up taking you, if you're ever tired of being known for who you know, you know that you'll always know me, and it's never too late to come back to my side. Iris' purple eyes always shined brightest when she was looking at Storm, something Storm was selfishly pleased by.

That was something else that didn't have to change, even in the face of a rapidly-overturning reality. Even if they couldn't spend the rest of their lives trying to hide out in peaceful places like they used to, ignoring everything else going on around them to focus only on each other, Storm would be there if Iris was the toast of the town, or if she struck out and came crawling home.

ooo

Later that night, though, Iris did take some time alone. She passed by the local cemetery, purple eyes flashing as she surveyed all the headstones. She wasn't going to speak to any ghosts tonight, but her mind was running a similar track as Storm's.

What would the people of the past think if they could see what we've become today? How many of them would be happy, how many would be scared, how many would be disappointed? She may not have used her Gift to summon any of them up and ask, but she still felt as if she could feel them all around.

And if I didn't know better, I'd think you were talking to me now. If I didn't know better, I'd think you were still around. But perhaps, in a way, they were. Now she was thinking back on fallen queer heroes of the past, not just the people buried in this very cemetery. What died didn't stay dead, you're alive in my head. But it wasn't just that they were alive in her head, all of their closets of backlogged dreams were now left in her hands, in their hands. The dreams of the past lived on through the people of the present, if the people of the present so chose to take up the mantle.

And I can't let them down, Iris thought. Even if I'm not the one who will start and lead the revolution, they were able to enact Roe v Wade once, so I can't just roll over and think it will never come back. What dies doesn't stay dead. The queer community was counted out time and time again, but we always came back stronger in the end. As the next generation of that community, all those closets of dreams are left to me now...

She could feel their spirits all around, hear them singing and talking to her now. The memories that she held onto were holding onto her, there to break her fall. Someday, she would become the memory, not just in the sense that she would one day pass on and leave her aspirations to act as inspirations to the next generation, but that this version of her right now would not last forever. Someday, they would make it out of the woods and into the clear and they would all be able to look back upon this moment with an exhausted sort of triumph.

I will remember this moment in the back of my mind. The time we stood with our shaking hands while the crowds in stands went wild. We'll be the kings and the queens even if they won't read off our names. We'll dance because we know our lives will never be the same, for better or worse. We'll hold our heads up like heroes, because it's the start of a decade, and the start of a new age!

Iris could see it now. The cynics were outraged, because for a moment a band of thieves in ripped-up jeans got to save and change the world! I'll have the time of my life fighting dragons with you, and one day, somehow, we will be remembered.

Maybe she'd even write a story about it. It was a funny, lighthearted idea she didn't put much stock into, but it was still an idea. And if she did, how would she do it...? Well, they would be long stories short, a collection of snapshots into the lives of others who were so similar yet so different from her.

Maybe this diverse array of queer stories would be her way of doing something, bringing people little slices of happiness in these trying times. There would be something in it for everyone: gold-rush pedestals, couples falling down rabbit holes, pushed from the edge, clinging to one another's lips. There would be bad times and good times. There would be past times and present times.

She would reflect on the war of words she used to shout in her sleep until the day she found someone who helped her live in peace. She dropped her sword to knock on that special someone's door, but if enemies came her way, like now, this time she'd be ready. That was, after all, the importance of using the past to push into the future, following the cyclical nature of life.

No more tug of war, now I just know there's more! Another chapter is always waiting to be written, and my waves will meet the shore evermore! Purple eyes closed as Iris imagined herself talking to a younger version of herself.

"Past Me, I wanna tell you not to get lost to these scary things. Your nemeses will defeat themselves before you get the chance to swing, all you have to do is run, and run, and run. You'll climb right back up the cliff and, long story short, you'll survive. Don't you remember? You already did it once, so who's to say you can't do it again? You made it this far, and now that you've got friends on your side this time, well..."

Long story short, it will be a bad time, but, long story short, in the end, you'll survive...

AN: Sorry this was so long and all-over-the-place, but there were TOO MANY GOOD SONGS I NEVER GOT USE! So this was the best way I could give some of them a shout-out. Kudos if you catch them all.

On a more serious note, I do mean what I said in this fic. I'm also not thrilled about what happened to Roe V Wade (to put it lightly), but as foolish as I may sound, I think/hope that it'll incite enough outrage that even if we can't force them to overturn the overturn, things will get better eventually! Not trying to be a source of toxic positivity, or say it'll be easy, I'm just hoping that someday, we'll start to swing upward again after spiraling down for so many years now.

Anyway, I hope y'all